Press Release

4/18/2012 1:26 PM ET

Major Leaguers award $40,000 in college scholarships to high school student volunteers

Spotlight shines on Action Team® leaders during National Volunteer Week

MLBPA Press Release

NEW YORK -- Major League baseball players will award $2,000 college scholarships to 20 outstanding high school students in recognition of their dedication to community service and tireless efforts to encourage others to get involved with causes they believe in, it was announced today by the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Each scholarship recipient is a member of the Action Team® national youth volunteer program created and administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.

Announced to coincide with National Volunteer Week (April 15-21), the scholarship awards are based on the volunteer activities, academic achievements and leadership skills of high school students serving as Action Team captains -- those students responsible for planning and organizing Action Team-related volunteer activities and encouraging their peers to heed the call to get involved. This school year, more than 60 Major Leaguers and 735 Action Team captains in 151 high schools across the country are working together to inspire and train the next generation of volunteers.

"It's an honor to recognize Action Team captains for their dedication to community service by awarding them college scholarships during National Volunteer Week," said Brad Ziegler, a pitcher with the Arizona Diamondbacks and a member of the scholarship review committee. "On behalf of all Major Leaguers, I thank the more than 700 high schools students serving as Action Team captains this school year, and I encourage others to take some time this week to recognize the efforts of those who selflessly volunteer their time to help others."

The Action Team has expanded its reach every year since its launch in 2003. To date, Action Teams of high school students and Major Leaguers have inspired more than 40,000 students to serve over 145,000 people in need. There are Action Teams in 30 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Japan, and each month the Action Team captains participate in a conference call hosted by legendary broadcaster George Grande that features a Major Leaguer and an "Action Team High School of the Month."

The Action Team Report published by the Players Trust, in partnership with The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition, carries the message of volunteerism and teaches valuable community service skills to 1 million high school students in more than 5,000 classrooms across the United States.

Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. In partnership with Volunteers of America, the national human service organization, the Players Trust created and helps administer the Action Team, a national youth volunteer initiative currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers in cities throughout the United States. For more information on the Major League Baseball Players Trust, please visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com.